My Platform

The leadership and management challenges and opportunities afforded to me over the last 30 years have been numerous and varied (See “Meet Mike Snyder”).  As a result of experience gained in many diverse environments, I am confident I have the tools that will provide Morrisville with an additional vote on the town board that will be informed, well thought out, and introspective.

So what are the current and future issues facing our town?  As informed citizens, we each have our own ideas about what is important.  Read on as I share my thoughts with you.  I will always actively solicit your thoughts, ideas, and concerns and welcome your calls, emails, and/or notes.  We may not always see eye-to-eye, but the important thing is that we’ve each become more informed by listening to the other.

Certainly, the growth of our community is foremost in the mind of the majority of citizens in Morrisville. You probably know that Morrisville was the fastest growing municipality in North Carolina according to the census taken in 2000 when compared to 2004 census.  We grew 122% or from a population of 5,208 to 11,915!  Think about that.  Where did this growth come from?  Planners underestimated Morrisville’s growth by 5,835 for 2003 and by 4,250 for 2004.  Thus, it’s no wonder that in the last five years we’ve:

1)      become surrounded by inadequate roads;

2)     had questions raised about commercial growth versus that of residential growth;

3)     wondered where our water would come from or who we’ll rely on for water and sewer services; and

4)     asked whether our schools, parks, and recreation facilities, can keep up with this pace of growth.  

Below I’ve outlined some of the issues that are a direct result of this rapidly escalating growth that the current board has begun to tackle and has taken positive strides in dealing with; but of which more work needs to be done.  With your help I will ensure that process keeps moving forward.

1.  Roads.  Have the roads and ability to travel on those roads kept pace with this population growth?  It sure doesn’t appear to if you’re a commuter traveling to RTP via Davis Drive in the morning or travelling on Chapel Hill Rd toward Raleigh in the evening.  Then again, as one familiar with doing personnel forecasts five years or more into the future, who could’ve predicted our growth? We need to examine not only what plans are on the table now for improving that situation, but look to the future to ensure we are accomplishing today what we’ll need for tomorrow.  At the same time, as citizens we have to understand that the Town of Morrisville has little control over state roads like Airport Blvd, Davis Dr, Morrisville-Carpenter Rd, Morrisville Pkwy, Chapel Hill Rd, and Aviation Rd.

2.  Schools.  Cedar Fork Elementary school in the Town Hall Commons subdivision is the first new school Morrisville has seen in many years.  It is beginning its third year and the first that other schools haven’t used it as a result of renovation to their facilities.  Currently, there are no other plans for new schools.  A new high school planned off of Highway 55 in Cary will handle some of our teenage growth and there is talk of a new middle school.  How do we accomplish this?  Is it to raise taxes?  Certainly no one, particularly our senior citizens, want to pay more taxes with an economy of fixed incomes and rising costs in every other sector.  Should housing developers bear the cost of new schools?  What result would that have on growth….good and/or bad?  I believe the answer lies in private-public partnerships wherein the school board rents back the land if the school district doesn’t have the capital at the time of need/building to buy.  The school would eventually take over ownership of the land and school based on contracted terms.

Whatever we do, this is a matter of the utmost importance in order to provide a quality education for our young people and to ensure we aren’t overrun by modular trailers at our existing schools in order to keep up with this growth.

3.      Downtown Revitalization.  Morrisville’s downtown area (which has some history if you weren’t aware, see http://www.mindspring.com/~nixnox/), considered to be in the vicinity of the intersection of Highway 54 and Morrisville-Carpenter Road, is slated for expansion and development in the near future.  It will coincide with the Triangle Transit Authority eventually making that area a rail stop along its route from Raleigh to Durham.  Projections are that this won’t happen until sometime after 2008.  Current plans call for shops, upscale townhomes, a park, perhaps even a farmer’s market among other ideas for the area.  Is this a viable plan for our town?  Have you been heard?  Do you have a better idea?  If so, let me know.  With forethought and research of other community successes in downtown revitalization efforts, we CAN make this area one of interest and one that people visit and use.         

4.  Water/Sewer Utility Merger.  As the community grows, so goes the “pain” of that growth in many cases. The proposed water/utility merger is one of those necessary “evils,” if you will.  But with Morrisville’s recent and projected growth we really have no other options.  The sewer rates have been held to $6.06 per 1000 gallons of consumption of the past ten years. As a result, the town is now showing a $2.9 million deficit in our sewer operation for this fiscal year.  This increase will only lower the deficit by about $715K, still leaving a shortfall of approximately $2.2 million.  This is expected to be fully recouped in future years.  

History: Cary and Morrisville have had a long standing arrangement through which Morrisville buys its drinking water from Cary and also receives wastewater treatment from Cary.  In 2000, a county-funded study recommended that Cary and Morrisville merge their water and sewer systems. At that time, Morrisville officials saw only marginal benefit. Since then, Cary and Morrisville have worked together on plans for meeting future water and wastewater treatment needs. The idea of merging their utility systems has become more appealing. This potential Cary/Morrisville utility merger would be transference of Morrisville's assets, service, and responsibility to maintain our utility systems (only) to the Town of Cary.  It is NOT a partnership.

The commissioners have reviewed the staff’s recommendation to increase the sewer rate to $8.15 per 1000 gallons and change the Administrative Fee from $5.00 into a sewer base fee of $2.74.  A determination still must be made on how long the rates need to be held to achieve cost recovery of a merger.  What will this mean to the average homeowner?  We’re told that average to high volume consumers could see a 25-28% increase in their monthly utility bill.  That being said, it is NOT out of line with what other municipalities are paying in Wake County.  You can hear more about this issue at the September 1^st meeting to be held at Town Hall

5.  Commercial/Residential Property Mix.  At a recent board meeting a resident questioned the commercial/residential mix in Morrisville that has evolved over the last six-eight years.  It IS a question that needs to be asked and followed up on.  The current Town Board members I’ve talked to are monitoring this very closely and evaluating all construction currently underway and that proposed for the future.  Some questions you and I both might ponder, include:  What kind of construction is most cost effective AND best for our community?  Are they one and the same?  The projected build-out rate says that by the year 2020 the population of Morrisville will be approximately 25, 000.  Are we reaping more tax benefit from commercial building or residential building?  Historically, more taxes are collected from commercial establishments than residential dwellings.  Is this the case in Morrisville?  Certainly, commercial property owners should be giving something back to and investing in a community that has welcomed them.  I would advocate pursuing these questions and issues further, if elected and I am keenly interested in your ideas.

6.  Greenway/Trails.  I give this effort my 100% support.  Developers and any road expansion plans must include these considerations.  Eventually, the tobacco trail will be a 120+ mile connected trail to ride bikes on.  Morrisville, as it currently plans to do, needs to ensure it is connected.  Our Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee is working diligently with the town to assist with this process.

I have spoken with many residents and sincerely care about their views regarding these six issues and more.  Ironically, I found that they are personal issues for my family, as well.  It is this sincerity and drive to do good AND right for Morrisville that has taken me to this point where I’m very motivated and welcome the opportunity to serve you as a commissioner in Morrisville.  You can be assured I will do my utmost to explore every option such that Morrisville retains the rising star status in Wake County AND North Carolina that we currently enjoy.  I have no hidden agenda.  I do not carry a one item agenda into this job.  I sincerely care for this community and am concerned about the effect of its growth on tomorrow.  I know this growth and the decisions we make today will impact the direction of our community for years to come.  I will take this job seriously, giving it, as I have every leadership position I’ve ever undertaken and been charged with, 110%.  My conviction to do right comes from the heart and I will never hesitate to ask the hard questions of our citizens or of our local/state government officials when considering the short term and long range effect on Morrisville.

I can only accomplish all of this with your help.  If there is an issue and you believe it has not been considered or addressed, tell me about it.  I WILL get you an answer and thank you for being a concerned and involved citizen.

Lastly, I ask you to consider my vast leadership and management experience gained over the last 30 years through service to my country, working in the federal government, volunteerism in the various communities I’ve lived in, and my involvement in community service.  I truly and firmly believe that with your help and involvement I CAN make a difference in the future of Morrisville.  I look at it as s TEAM effort.  One person cannot accomplish what the masses can.  It’s your choice and your vote.  Make it count!